These were purchased as souvenirs for folks who would go on the Grand Tour throughout Europe. During the Victorian era, the imagination of Europe's wealthy elite had been fired by the archaeological discoveries and out of curiosity, folks would travel across the continent to visit these important sites. The Grand Tour usually consisted of traveling to major European countries: England, Paris, Switzerland, Southern France and Italy etc .; sailing by steamship and then traveling over land via carriages. Usually it was men who did the majority of the traveling and they would bring back lovely trinkets such as the perfume case as a gift for their female loved ones back home. The young men followed a tour-pattern which had included areas of Europe most associated with continued education. The tours were also extended to young women as well, who might travel with their families.
While on the tour in France, they may also have picked up other treasures such as scent bottles in gilded stands, watch stands/cases, trinket boxes, powder boxes, opaline caskets, objects for the vanity made of ormolu and shells, marble and ornate gilded wire, all purchased at the Palais Royal.
These little caskets were made for travel use, but still looked adorable on the vanity table as well. The majority of the cases have their outer surface covered in high quality tooled leather, sometimes adornments such as brass studs, ivory knobs, mother of pearl, onyx, malachite, carnelian or other stone cabochons were added to the case as decorative shock absorbers. Other cases may be covered with velvet or inlaid with marquetry, pewter stringing, ivory, silver or gold. The cases are well appointed with fitted interiors, usually lined in velvet or silk, the bottles were made to fit these interiors perfectly and would stay snug during the jostling in a horse drawn carriage or sailing across the ocean in a schooner- which were the two main modes of traveling at the time. The bottles were sold empty so that the owner could decant their own perfume, scented vinegar (vinaigrette) or smelling salts into the bottle. Oftentimes, a perfume or cologne and smelling salts would be side by side in the casket.
These caskets were generally put together in France. The cut crystal bottles were fire polished for a smooth finish. Sometimes you can find colored transparent or translucent opaline glass bottles. Bottles can be found either in cylindrical shapes or little squared shapes. The hinged flip caps are gilded brass, and fitted with the thinnest of glass lens covers. Underneath the glass are small, round miniature scenes of landmarks, they have been found in a variety of mediums: lithographed paper, verre eglomise (painted scenes on the underside of the glass itself), or sometimes thin, fragile discs of hand painted ivory. The scenes in the pictures were often of notable landmarks, architectural icons such as the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame cathedral, Parthenon, fountains, palaces, towers, or other famous buildings. The bottles were fitted with tiny ground glass stoppers, and would be positioned in such a way that the flip caps would keep them in place, so that perfume seepage was deterred during travel. Some perfume companies housed their perfumes inside these cases. Eugene Rimmel put out a nice leather covered example, lined with red velvet and containing two bottles.
Other scent cases were made up of opaline glass, cut crystal, onyx, tortoiseshell panels, agate, marble, ivory and ormolu. These were generally made to sit upon the vanity table as they would be too fragile to travel with.
These caskets were not only offered at the Palais Royal, but could also be had from perfumery shops, jewelry shops, catalogs and were even advertised in magazines such as Youth's Companion. In an 1880 volume of Youth's Companion, there were three caskets available:
- Russia Leather Perfume Case No. 170. This elegant set comprises three cut glass bottles in a beautiful, red leather case, lined satin. The hinge is nickel and the edges of the case are bound with same metal.
- Russia Leather Perfume Case No. 270. This case is of Russia leather, lined with satin silk, and is furnished with two cut glass bottles - a handsome ornament for the toilet.
- Russia Leather Perfume Case No. 570. This case is elegant in design, and perfect in style of finish. It has nickel trimmings, a bit of gold and silver metal ornament on top. The two bottles are cut glass and rich in design. The size of case is 3x4 inches.
There are so many different versions of these caskets that not one person in the world could own all of them. From the materials used, to the shapes of the caskets, each is its own work of art. All caskets are made up of wood, but what covers the caskets can differ. One is able to locate caskets whose outer surfaces are made of boule (tortoiseshell), papier mache, ivory, early types of plastic, bronze, or even velvet.
To purchase or find out more about the caskets shown in this guide, please click on the numbered link with the corresponding number on photo.
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